Frustrated

naturegal79 · March 2013

So Reece utterly sucks at eating. I feel like he hates everything. The only thing he does well on is watermelon, puffs and cereal. He will gobble up that carving board chicken (lunch meat) like it's out of style, but that is processed crap and I don't want to fee him it and since I learned how terrible it is, I stopped buying it. I cook every night and I am a pretty darn good cook I must say. It's not like it's nasty or anything. He will do ok on regular chicken and other meats but doesn't eat a lot of it at all. It's not like the kid is malnutritioned either... he weighs 28 lbs and is solid. So I don't know. I played with all kinds of meats and veggies.. I'm just at a loss. Is it always going to be this hard?

Help.... please!!

amber31288 · March 2013

No advice here, but my DD is the same way. She has a small handful of things she will usually eat, but it's hard to get her to venture out. And we have days where you can't even get her to eat her favorite things. Her pedi isn't concerned about her weight, but this whole thing bothers me. We never have a day where I feel like she gets enough. It is frustrating.. I feel you.

ssimon621 · March 2013

Have you tried turkey breast? Maybe slice it in longer pieces like lunch meat?

Also, Skyler has a new thing where she wants whole pieces of items. She was refusing her ravioli cut in four the other day and I let her look in the bowl, she took a whole ravioli and ate it fine. Same thing with pizza Friday night, I was giving her pieces and then she went balistic because she wanted a slice. We gave her the slice and she ate everything off the front.

It's weird, but maybe it's worth a try.

naturegal79 · March 2013

ssimon621:
Have you tried turkey breast? Maybe slice it in longer pieces like lunch meat?

Also, Skyler has a new thing where she wants whole pieces of items. She was refusing her ravioli cut in four the other day and I let her look in the bowl, she took a whole ravioli and ate it fine. Same thing with pizza Friday night, I was giving her pieces and then she went balistic because she wanted a slice. We gave her the slice and she ate everything off the front.

It's weird, but maybe it's worth a try.

That's what I was wondering, maybe the pieces I give him are still too small. I was going to venture out and do bigger pieces but I am a paranoid freak about him choking even though he has 11 teeth and is now getting some molars. I did give him a whole slice of cheese yesterday without completely freaking out, so maybe I will try some bigger pieces of meat. Thanks!!

MollySm · March 2013

Lucia also likes long things these days, like long strips of toast, or whole penne pasta. But also, the toddler years are the years of picky eaters. I'd just keep offering a variety of tastes, and as long as he's growing well, try not to stress about it! I know it's tough.

joie12 · March 2013

My ped described meal times perfectly: Russian roulette. You never know if you're going to get a kid who's willing to eat, or what they're willing to eat. He said, just keep trying, and don't give "junk" until the other stuff's gone.

I will third (? i think) the suggestion to give bigger food. DD doesn't want little stuff anymore. She seems fine with everything, so I just give it to her. She is getting really good at biting off pieces...

NatnDyl · March 2013

I'm in this boat. Connor only wants bread, or crackers, or cheerios, or animal crackers. It feels like a struggle to get fruits and vegetables into him. I did make toddler muffins and they were a (messy) success.

naturegal79 · March 2013

Is meat ok to give in bigger/linger pieces now??

joie12 · March 2013

I made meatballs over the weekend (with zucchini in them!) and honestly, I just gave her a whole meatball. They're about the size of golfballs, but they break apart really easily and so both she and I are happy. She's happy b/c she gets a whole big chunka something good, I'm happy because she can't really get the whole thing in her mouth without it crumbling.

The non-ground meat that I give her is maybe the size of a quarter? I have a friend who did BLW, and she legit would just give the kid a big chunk of meat and he would go to town.

ssimon621 · March 2013

naturegal79:
Is meat ok to give in bigger/linger pieces now??

I usually give her longer "shreds" of meat now. Before they were about the size of my fingernail, now they are more like the first third of my finger.

I can't remember, did he choke on food before when he was smaller? Skyler only has three teeth, two at the bottom and one at the top to the side so she just uses her gums to mash everything up. Maybe try a bigger soft food first, like a baby carrot steamed very well. Some days when Skyler won't eat, I just resort to baby oatmeal with fruit mixed in. I don't have it in me to fight. As long as what she eats is healthy and she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night hungry I figure she is okay. She also eats much better at daycare so I try to send a hearty lunch and snack. She rarely turns anything away that her DCP offers her.

michelle7482 · March 2013

We are in the same boat. Maddy eats waffles, nutri grain bars, bananas, pastina, puffs, yogurt, and oatmeal. I still give her a a jar of veg and fruit purees each day to make sure she's eating a balanced diet. My pedi isn't worried and said she will slowly take to more foods. I'm just glad I finally got her on some table foods.

jmccall79 · March 2013

I say keep trying! Ian goes through phases where he'll LOVE something for days, then won't touch it at all. My ped said that getting them to eat "meat" at this age is one of the most difficult things to do. It came up in conversation because I asked about giving Ian a vitamin, since he's no longer on formula. She said that since he eats meat good, "which is a tough task at this age", then there's no need for it at this point. I know it's not an easy answer, but just keep trying stuff and offering it.

JessieJH · March 2013

Have you tried smoothies? Katherine loves those and I try to make them almost ice-cream consistency (banana helps to thicken things up, plus I put in berries, greek yogurt and her probiotics).

She is also picky about 'how' we give her things. I am not allowed to help her much anymore- she has to use the spoon herself, etc. she also only wants to spend a few moments in the high chair, so I will let her eat a banana while sitting on the floor or will put a tray with snacks on the floor so that she can just graze as she goes by (we call it 'looking for grubs'). She really likes to 'find' her own food for some crazy reason.

One suggestion I liked was to put a whole bunch of foods in an ice-cube tray (lots of colors and textures) and just let them take what they want. Try peas, cooked carrots, sweet potatoe, avo chungs, crackers, cut grapes, etc).

hpharding · March 2013

I mix them up. Aka pancakes with zucchini and broccoli. Eggs with ham and cheese etc. that's the best way I can get him to eat different things. He also hates bland food. He likes lots of flavor, which so do I, so it's easy to do.

ChristinaL27 · March 2013

Our doctor told us some days toddlers will eat one meal, others 3-4 meals and times where they just pick. He told us its completely normal. Have you tried the organic purred veggie/fruit pouches? My daughter looves them and eats them while she is busy playing or will sit in her highchair. She loves that she can do it all herself.

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